Claw toes are deformities that usually affect the lesser toes (not the big toe). Having claw toe means your toes "claw," digging down into the soles of your shoes and creating painful calluses. Claw toe gets worse without treatment and may become a permanent deformity over time.

Causes
People often blame claw toe on wearing shoes that squeeze your toes, such as shoes that are too short or high heels. However, claw toe is also often the result of nerve damage caused by diseases like diabetes or alcoholism, which can weaken the muscles in your foot. Trauma and inflammation can also cause claw toe deformity.

Symptoms
Symptoms of claw toe include:

• Toes that bend upward from the joints at the ball of the foot
• Toes that bend downward at the middle joints toward the sole of your shoe
• Toes that bend downward at the top joints, curling under the foot
• Corns over the top of the toe or under the ball of the foot
  Diagnosis

If you have symptoms of a claw toe, see your doctor for evaluation. You may need certain tests to rule out neurological disorders that can weaken your foot muscles, creating imbalances that bend your toes.

Treatment
Claw toe deformities are usually flexible at first, but they harden into place over time. If you have claw toe in its early stages, your doctor may recommend a splint or tape to hold your toes in correct position. Additional treatments may include:

• Wearing shoes with soft, roomy toe boxes and avoiding tight shoes and high-heels
• Manually stretching your toes and toe joints toward their normal positions
• Exercising your toes by using them to pick up marbles or a crumpled towel laid flat on the floor
• Claw toe in its latter stages results in toes that are fixed in position. A special pad can redistribute your weight and relieve pressure on the ball of your foot. Other options include special "in depth" shoes that have an extra 3/8" depth in the toe box or asking a shoe repair shop to stretch a small pocket in the toe box to accommodate the deformity.  If these treatments do not help, you may need surgery to correct the problem.